As a professional writer it is hard to find work at a place where everyone works for free, but somehow people like myself manage to scrape out a living. For me, the Internet is a huge dynamic book, almost like a yearbook. There are pictures, some information, and the area in the back where people scribble their messages.
When I was in highschool, my friends would turn straight to the back of the book so that they could write their funny message or sketch out a picture. I was always the weird one who insisted on reading the few pages that had words on them. Years later, when I went back through my yearbook, I was amused by the messages left by classmates, but found greater value on the other pages. I already knew Jessica said she would “love me like a sister always” and even then I knew it was a lie.
The Internet is like my highschool yearbook- full of ridiculous, over-glorifying, and in the greater scheme of things, irrelevant writing. I mean, yes it’s entertaining, but at what point do you stop looking at it for useful information?
While even I will ‘scribble’ some writing on a friend’s Facebook page, I consider it just that. The problem is; many website owners have mistaken scribble for writing. They then wonder why people do not buy their products.
Scribble has its place, and that typically is in the back of the yearbook after all of the important stuff.
Unfortunately, the Internet and those adding content to it are attempting to mark the entire book. Everyone who posts anything online has to decide what type of content they want to make. Useful content, or entertaining content. (Or even the Holy Grail- both!) Professional online writers have to compete against scribble for the attention of online viewers.
Is it frustrating? Sometimes.
I try to make myself feel better about it by reminding myself, ‘Hey, at least they’re writing’.
Writing My Way Up 